Biobehavioral Medicine and Health Outcomes – BMHO
The Biobehavioral Medicine and Health Outcomes (BMHO) Study Section reviews applications that examine psychological/behavioral treatments for biological and physiological processes underlying a range of diseases, conditions and diagnoses across the human lifespan at the individual or small group level. Applications may use biopsychosocial and behavioral methods in conjunction with clinical approaches to improve health outcomes of biological and physiological diseases or conditions and reduce related morbidity and mortality. The study section does not review applications using animal models, or studies with a primary focus at the community level, health services/health systems level, or population-level.
Review Dates
Topics
- Studies focusing on behavioral or psychosocial treatments for physiological or biological conditions, symptoms or reactions to diseases or disorders.
- Studies focusing on the integration of behavioral and psychosocial approaches with medical/clinical treatments to improve health and manage disease/disabling conditions (including screening, rehabilitation, post-surgical care, medication adherence, treatment compliance and symptom management).
- Studies focusing on psychosocial health in disease self-management and quality of life, particularly when examined in the context of biomarkers and physiological responses to conditions or treatments.
- Studies focusing on behavioral, psychological or social responses to interventions designed to reduce stress, distress or pain secondary to medical conditions or surgical procedures, including diagnosis or treatment of somatic diseases and conditions such as pain and sleep disorders.
- Studies to test relevant applied mHealth interventions focusing on individual or small group-level behavioral approaches, including adaptive designs and clinical interventions addressing disease management and outcomes with a behavioral/psychosocial component.
Shared Interests and Overlaps
BMHO and Lifestyle Change and Behavioral Health (LCBH) have shared interests in using behavioral methods to promote health and reduce disease risk at the individual or small group level. Applications that emphasize behavioral and psychosocial approaches integrated with medical/clinical treatment to remedy or slow the progression of disease are reviewed in BMHO. Applications that emphasize the adoption or uptake of behavior change for prevention or to promote health and well-being or reduce health risks are reviewed in LCBH
BMHO and Interdisciplinary Clinical Care in Specialty Care Settings (ICSC) and Clinical Management in General Care Settings (CMGC) have shared interests in management/self-management of acute and chronic illnesses. Applications that propose research projects using person- or patient-targeted behavioral and psychosocial approaches to mitigate disease complications as outcomes are reviewed in BMHO. Applications that emphasize patient behavior and treatment responses with an intent to guide care management or inform clinical practice in the institutional, primary care or general care settings are reviewed in ICSC or CMGC
Biobehavioral Medicine and Health Outcomes (BMHO) and Biological Processes and Social-Ecological Factors (BPSF) have shared interests in stress and pain. Applications that emphasize the psychosocial sequalae of stress and pain and approaches to manage and alleviate symptoms are reviewed in BMHO. Applications that emphasize basic biological responses to stress and pain and the interplay between stress/emotion and pain are reviewed in BPSF.
BMHO and Neurobiology of Pain and Itch (NPI) have a shared interest in pain studies. Applications that involve medical/clinical studies of pain-management in humans that evaluate psychosocial factors, behavioral interventions, rehabilitation and patient outcomes are reviewed in BMHO. Applications that focus on the molecular biology, genetics, anatomy, physiology, imaging, psychophysics of pain, and somatosensory systems in animals and humans are reviewed in NPI.
